None.
a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices for harnessing light energy. More particularly, the invention relates to devices used to store, then release light energy in a burst.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Since caveman times, when man walked out of his cave and felt the warmth of the sun on his face, he has inherently understood that light contains energy. Recently, scientific advances have allowed creation of lasers and other such devices to more effectively harness the power of light.
There are many ways to harness the energy of light: mirrors can be used to reflect light, and prisms can be used to refract or bend light. There are practical applications of the properties of reflection including solar collectors using parabolic mirrors to reflect light onto a concentrated source which is then heated to produce, for example, steam for electric generation. Similarly, there are myriad practical applications of refraction, for example, binoculars used to magnify distant objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,994 to Afian et al., discloses a method for solar concentrator manufacturing. Afian""s device is intended to, for example, receive sunlight concentrated, it then releases a more focused light from an output face. Afian uses a hologram layer to ensure that light entering the trapezoidal prism in this device enters the prism at an angle xcex8 such that it is propagated through the prism via total interval reflection within the prism towards an output face. Thus, a concentrated beam is omitted at the output face. In effect, Afian""s device acts like a traditional magnifying glass to concentrate light rays, though it uses a prism and the concept of total internal reflection to accomplish that objective.
A similar device is disclosed by Kuper et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,329. Kuper discloses a light directing optical structure. Several prisms are provided, each having an aperture, which due to its index of refraction, allows light to escape the waveguide rather than remain confined in the prism due to total internal refraction. The light escaping the waveguide is reflected from a side face of the prism, and redirected in a desired direction. Light emerging from the aperture is of a fairly closely constrained range of angles. The optical structure can receive light along an input edge or along several edges, converting this input, which is not constrained in angles, to a directed, controlled output source.
However, both of the Afian and the Kuper devices are directed at sources of defused light, that is they are not directed at use and manipulation of laser-type light. There is a need for an invention to direct and focus both diffused light and laser-type light.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of the invention which relates to devices for harnessing light energy, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the various disadvantages of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device to collect and concentrate both diffuse light from sources such as sunlight, incandescent, and flourescent lighting sources, as well as from lasers. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a circular prism-based system for collecting and storing light in a focused beam for use as such. Essentially, it is an objection of the present invention to provide a light xe2x80x9ccapacitor.xe2x80x9d
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.